Dump truck



Filed Aug. 19, -i939 2 sneaks-shew- 1 MMU I ""fll/ l )lu Il l l 11 INVENTOR, 1%.5 56 4/ 45/ a 31 35 Q2 54 c f 4 .wvl 7 l.; ATTORNEY D. EHNGELIS'I'A4 DUMP'TRUCK Filed'Agg. 19, 1939 2 Sheets-*Sheet h2 Ill,

will" l lNVENTOR L; ATTORNEY Patented Cet. 22, 194i) UNITED STATES DUMP TRUCK Y Dominick Evangelista,.New York, N.`Y., assig'njorv to Regent Appliance Corporation, Bronx, N. Y., 1 l' acorporation of New York v 'l j K' Application August 19, 1939, Serial No. 290,958

' soiaims. (01.2.98. 231

This invention relates to dump trucks, and more particularly to tilting-body dump vtrucks equipped with apparatus for automatically opening, closing and locking the tailboards of the tilting bodies, and especially drop tailboards, that is, tailboards which are pivoted at the bottom and which in opening swing outward-and downward.

The object of the invention is to provide tiltingbody dump trucks with means whereby, when the load-carrying body of the truck has been tilted up to its inclined load-discharging position, the tailboard will have opened to permit the load to be discharged, and whereby, as the body moves down to its normal or load-carrying position, the tailboard will be turned back to closed position and will be securely held in such positionv until the body is again tilted; and to provide such means which shall be reliable in operation and not liable to get out of order, and which may be applied to the trucks. during the building or assembling thereof or afterwards.

To these ends, a truck equipped with apparatus embodying the various features of the invention in the form now considered best has at each side of the underframe of its tilting body, mounted to move lengthwise thereof, asliding member from which a suitably guided cable extends to the tailboard, and has pivoted at each side of the trucks chassis, at a point spaced a distance forward from the pivotal axis of the body, an operating lever, the free ends of which levers as the body moves downward from its raised, or load-discharging, position to its dropped, or load-carrying, position engage said sliding members *to force them forward and thereby to close the tailboard. As the body reaches its `dropped position, the sliding members are locked against rearward movement by coacting shoulders on said members and onv the chassis, and as these coacting locking shoulders come into engagement the operating levers are disengaged from the sliding members, and

spring-pressed engaging members at the ends of the levers which engage the shoulders on thel sliding members then move outward a limited distance sufficient to prevent engagement of` the levers with the sliding members during the `ripward tilting movement of the body. 'Ihe sliding members are thus free to move backward to'permit the tailboard to swing outward for discharge ofthe load.

The operating levers are spring-urged tov swing upward so that as the body is tilted upward the levers follow the body, and as the body reaches its extreme 11p-tilted position the .operating members at the. end of the levers move-in behind the engaging shouldersof the sliding. bodies, thereby reestablishing the yoperating connection between the levers and'the'sliding members, so that on the downward movement of the-.body the sliding members are forced forward .bythe levers for "55"" closing the tailboard as abovestated.

The invention'has beenmadeiespecially wit the idea of its application tol-wheeled .automobile truoks, but is-obviously equallyapplicable to other 4wheelefdtrucks or 'to 2-,wheeled or other trucks :or carts having .tilting loadedischarging bodies, and the'wordftruck as used' in the claims is to be understood as including-all such trucks, carts and wagons to which ,the inventionis adaptable.

A full understandingof the invention can vbest be given by a detailed description of an approved embodiment thereof as applied to atruckof conventional form having its `tilting body pivotedat its rear end to therear endA of the truckl chassis, and such a descrption'will -now be'giv'en in connection with. the accompanying drawings showing such anembodiment of the invention. In said drawings: v w' ,l "1.'-

Fig. l'is a'sideview of a truck .bodyzhavinga drop tailboard and a'portion` of a truck chassis equipped with tailboard operatingv apparatus ac'- cording to the inventiomthez-body being inf-its uptilted load-discharging position;

Fig.2 is aside view of such partslwith the body movedd'own nearly to` its normalgpr vload-carrying, position;`

Fig. 3 is a similar 'View' showing 'the' body in its load-carrying position; l A

Fig. 4` is aplanview of ltheunderside of the 35 body looking upward lfrom the' planeof line 4-4 Figf vis a sectional planview looking downward from thel plane of line 5-5of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6'is adetail sectional view taken online B-B of Fig. 3 but on a-larger scale; y Y

Fig. 7 is a detail 'sectional view taken on line 'l-Iof Fig. 1 but on a larger scale;

Fig. 8 .is a detail View partly in sectionl and on an enlarged scale of the enid of one of the operating levers showing its spring-pressed"operat-l ingmember; andv f r Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional view showing the anchorage of one of the'operating cables in the tailboard.

Referring to thedrawings, the-'tilting 'body' l0V of the truck is pivotally connected near' its rear end to the rear end of thetruck chassis of which two side rails Il, wood sills I'2 on the rails Il on which the body' rests when in its down, or loadcarrying, position, and front and rear cross-connecting pieces I3 are shown. Such trucks are commonly provided at the front end with hoisting means for raising the front end of the body to its up-tilted position shown in Fig. 1, and the truck of the drawings may be considered as provided with such hoisting means, which is not necessary to be shown.

The body III hasat its rear end a drop tailboard I4 pivoted along its bottom edge to the rear edge of the bottom of the body, and as shown the body has the usual under frame including two longitudinally extending side rails I5 formed of I-beams, and on the bottom fiange of each of these side rails is mounteda sliding member I6. For each of these sliding members an operating cable I'I has one end anchored to the under frame of the body as shown at I8- and-extends thence forward and about a sheave 20 carried by the sliding member I6, thence rearward toa sheave 2|, thence outward to a sheave 22, thence upward through the bottom of the body to a sheave 23 near the top and close to the' rear end of the body, and after turning about this sheave 23 the end of the cable is connected to the tailboard at a point near the end of the board and close to its upper edge asbyanchoring means such as shown in Fig. 9.

The mountings for the sheaves 20, 2|, 22 and 23 have, as shown, suitable guides V`to prevent the cable from riding out of the sheave grooves. The sheaves 2| and^22 in theconstruction shown are mounted in casings 25 bolted or otherwise secured to the body-frame adjacent the rearend thereof, and the sheaves 23 are each mounted in a box or casing 26 secured against the side wall of the body adjacent the rear end,- the vcasings being open at Athe bottom or having a suitable openingfor the vertical run ofthe cableand each having a vertically kelongated'opening 21 in itsrear wall through which the cable extends to the tailboard.

For moving the sliding` members I6 forward as the body 'is swung downward, two operating levers 30, one for each sliding membenare pivotally mounted on the chassis rails II and extend forwardlyand are spring-urged to swing upward. As shown, a portion ofl each oflthe sills I2 is cut'l away and inthe spaces thus provided channel castings 3| are seated 'on the' rails I I secured by bolts 32, and the levers 30 have theirrpi'vot'ends securedin the channels of the castings 3| fast on stub shafts 33.journalled in the side 'flanges of the castings.V Eachof the stub shafts has on its inner end inside the casinga shortV arm 34 to which one endwof a coil spring 35. is connected. By the Atension of the springs35 theoperating levers are thus urged upward. The pivotal axes ofthe operating levers are spaced forward from the pivotal axis of the body so. that when the body is swung downward from its load-discharging position as-shown in Fig. l with the free ends of the levers in engagement with shoulders 36 of the sliding members I6, the levers as they are turned downward force the sliding members forward.

The length of the levers 30 and the spacing of their pivotal axes from the pivotal ,axis of the body is such that the forward movement thus given to-the sliding members I6 during the downward movement ofthe body from its load-discharging position is sufficient to take up the slack in the cables I'I and vto swing the tailboard'from itsopen position shown in Fig. 1 to its completely closed position as shown in Fig. 3. 'In order to reduce thel friction of thesliding members against the rails I5 under the upward and forward thrust of the levers 30, the sliding members are provided with anti-friction rollers 31 housed between the bottom of the members and the bottom of the rails.

Each of the operating levers has at its free end a spring-pressed engaging member 40 which has a limited movement endwise of the lever. As shown, each engaging member 40 has a rounded end and is carried by a rod 4I mounted to slide in a tubular plug 42 set in the end of the lever, the lever being formed of a piece of tubing. The rod 4| is pressed outward by a coil spring 43 set between the inner end of the plug 42 anda shoulder on the rod. The inner end of the rod ex- -tends through the end of the plug, and outward movement of the rod and member 40 is limited by means of a nut 44 on the threaded end of the rod. By adjustment of this nut the outward position of lthe engaging member is determined. Inward movement of the engaging member is limited by its engagement with the end of the lever.

When the truck body is moving downward, the resistance of the sliding members I6 causes the engaging members 40 to be pressed back against their springs 43, as shown in Fig. 2. After the slides I6, by the downward movement of the body, have been moved forward by the levers 3|! to the position shown in Fig. 2 and thereby closed thetailboard, tripping members 45 carried by rearwardly extending parts of the slides I6 engage the levers and as the body completes its downward movement force the levers further downward and cause the engaging members 40 to move down relatively to the shoulders 36 vof the slides suiiiciently so that as the body reaches its extreme downward position the rounded ends of the engaging members 40 have been moved so far with relation to the shoulders 36 that cam action resulting from engagement oi the rounded end of the engaging members with the edge of the shoulders forces the engaging members further downward andto the relative position shown in Fig. 3 in which theengaging member is disengaged from the shoulder of the slide.

Before such disengagement of the levers from the slides, however, the shoulders 36 of the slides have moved down past the forward ends of the channelmembers 3|, which are positioned so as to serve as shoulders to coact with the slide shoulders to lock and hold the slide against rearward movement so long as the body is in its down, or load-carrying, position. Fig. 3 shows the position of the operating parts of the invention when the body is in load-carrying position resting on the sills I2, the tailboard being then closed and being held closed by the slides in locking engagement with the channel members 3|. The tripping devices 45 are made adjustable by being formed as shown by screws threaded into the rearward extensions of the slides I6.

When the forward end of the body is raised, the slides I6 are released by movement of their shoulders 36'out of engagement with the ends of the members 3|, and as the engaging members of the operating levers are then not in operative engagement with the slide shoulders the slides are free to move rearward to permit the tailboard, under pressure of the load in the body or by gravity, to swing outward and downward to the position shown in Fig. 1. Rearward movement of the slides is limited by stops 46 which are positioned far enough toward the rear end of the body so that the cables I1 will be slack when the tailboard has swung down to the open position shown in Fig. l. As the body moves upward, the operating levers are caused by the tension of springs 35 to turn upward so that their free ends follow the slides I6, but out of operating engagement therewith, until, when the body has reached its eXtreme up-tilted position, the engaging members l0 of the levers will have moved in behind the shoulders 36 of the Slides, as shown in Fig. 1. Then, when the body is lowered, the engaging members 4D are first pressed back to their innermost position by the shoulders 36, and thereafter as the downward movement of the body continues the slides are moved forward by the levers to close the tailboard as before described.

The operation of the tailboard operating apparatus will be understood from the foregoing description, but may be stated brieiiy as follows: When a load is to be dumped from the truck body, the tailboard being closed and the parts in the position shown by Fig. 3, the body is raised to its tilted dumping position shown by Fig. l. During this upward movement of the body, the slides I6 are free to more rearward, permitting the tailboard to swing outward and downward. Then, the load having been discharged, as the body is lowered the slides I6 are forced forward by the operating levers 3B and the tailboard is thereby drawn upward and to its closed position by the cables Il, and as the body reaches its down, or load-carrying, position, the tailboard having been closed, the operating levers are disengaged from the slides I6 and the slides are locked by engagement of their shoulders with the shoulders formed by the ends of the channel members 3l to hold the tailboard closed until the front end of the body is again raised.

What is claimed is:

1. In a dump truck having a tilting body and a tailboard at the rear end of the body pivotally mounted to swing outward and downward, tailboard operating means comprising a sliding member mounted to slide on the body and operatively connected with the tailboard by tension means, and an operating lever pivotally mounted on the truck chassis in position for its free end to engage said sliding member, whereby by the weight of the body when it moves from loaddischarging position to load-carrying position said sliding member is moved by said lever to close the tailboard.

2. In a dump truck having a tilting body and a tailboard at the rear end of the body pivotally mounted to swing outward and downward, tailboard operating means comprising a sliding member mounted to slide on the body, a cable connection between said member and the tailboard, and an operating lever pivotally mounted on the truck chassis forward of the pivotal axis of the tilting body and in position for its free end to engage a shoulder on the sliding member during movement of the body from load-discharging position to load-carrying position to move said sliding member to close the tailboard.

3. In a dump truck having a tilting body and a tailboard at the rear end of the body pivotally mounted to swing outward and downward, tailboard operating means comprising a sliding member mounted on the body and operatively connected to the tailboard, an operating lever pivotally mounted on the truck chassis forward of the pivotal axis of the tilting body and in position for its free end to engage a shoulder onthe sliding member during movement of the body from load-discharging position to load-carrying position to move said sliding member to close the tailboard, means for locking the sliding member to hold the tailboard in closed position when the body is in load-carrying position, and means for disengaging said lever from the shoulder of the sliding member as the body reaches its loadcarrying position.

4. In a dump truck having a tilting` body and a tailboard at the rear end of the body pivotally mounted to swing outward and downward, tailboard operating means comprising a sliding member mounted on the body and operatively connected to the tailboard, an operating lever pivotally mounted on the truck chassis forward of the pivotal axis of the body and in position for its free end to engage the sliding member during movement of the body from load-discharging position to load-carrying position to move the sliding member forward to close the tailboard, the engagement of said lever with the sliding member being by means of a springpressed engaging member mounted at the free end of the lever for engaging a shoulder on the sliding member, means for locking the sliding member to hold the tailboard in closed position when the body is in load-carrying position, means for moving the free end of the lever away from the body as the body approaches its loadcarrying position to disengage said engaging member from the sliding member leaving the sliding member when released from the locking means on upward movement of the body free to move Vbackward to permit the tailboard to open, and means urging the lever to swing upward to follow the sliding member as the body is tilted upward and to move its engaging member into position to engage the shoulder of the sliding member on downward movement of the body.

5. In a dump truck having a tilting body which has two spaced longitudinal under rails and a tailboard at the rear end of the body pivotally mounted to swing outward and downward, tailboard operating means comprising'two sliding members mounted on the rails of the body, a

cable connecting each of said sliding members to the tailboard, each of said cables having one end connected to the body to the rear of the sliding member and extending thence forward and about a sheave on the sliding member, thence rearward to a horizontal sheave and thence outward to a vertical sheave, a mounting for said last two sheaves secured to the under side of the body, the cable extending thence upward to a sheave mounted near the top of the body at an outer rear corner thereof and thence outward with its outer end secured to the tailboard at a point near the end of the board and close to its upper edge, a housing for said last mentioned sheave secured within the body against the side wall thereof adjacent its rear end, and means controlled by the tilting movement of the body to move said sliding members to close the tailboard as the body moves down from load-discharging position to load-carrying position.

DOMINICK EVANGELISTA. 

